Wednesday, October 3, 2007

Peter Jackson's Crossing the Line

World War One aviation has suffered poorly at the hands of Hollywood. The Blue Max was ok, but was made at a time when flying World War One aircraft, or replicas were at a premium. Therefore post war types were used including modified Tiger Moth’s and most famously a Morane-Saulnier MS 230. Since the late 1960 popularity of World War One aircraft has skyrocketed and more and more aircraft are being restored or recreated. It was certainly the right time to make a great World War One aviation film. Flyboys was hyped as that movie. Wow, was the hype wrong. A cliched love story, Nieuports and Fokkers that fly like Pitts Specials and sound like Harvards, and too much CGI. What a missed opportunity and just another bad aviation film. There is some hope on the horizon however.

Peter Jackson is a well known movie maker, but it is less well known that he is a collector of World War One aviation aircraft and memorabilia. His collection is the centerpiece of the new Omaka Aviation Heritage Center in New Zealand and consists of both original and replica aircraft, many which fly. So a famous director and a World War One buff...wow...Jackson would be the perfect guy to make the definitive WW1 aviation movie. This trailer by Jackson gives the viewer even more hope:

But don’t get too excited. Crossing the Line is only a short film done by Jackson to test out new cameras. Mr. Jackson has stated he would like to do a WW1 film and there are rumors that Crossing The Line is a short draft for a future World War One film by Jackson. So don’t give up hope...yet... But first Jackson has to play with Lancasters and remake Dambusters.

1 comment:

Wow! I had not seen that. God, I hope that becomes a movie, THere hasn't been much at the theater worth seeing in a long time, and with a 3 and 1/2 year old, I don't get to the theater much. I would make time to see that one in a theater.

About Me

An expat Canadian now living in Seattle, Jim builds RCAF, RCN, US Navy, and Commonwealth aircraft in 1/72 scale. Jim is an avid reader and a sometimes writer, a fan of rock, folk, and jam bands, and a private pilot. When he’s not exploring one of the many museums, parks, and libraries of Puget Sound with his wife and their daughter, Jim is a practicing attorney.